Issue link: https://maltatoday.uberflip.com/i/1547522
A magistrate has called for changes to Malta's drug legis- lation after rejecting a man's request to have his drug traf- ficking case dealt with under special drug court provisions, despite acknowledging the tragic circumstances sur- rounding his wife's death. In a decree delivered on 9 November, the court ruled although the circumstances warranted consideration, the law did not allow it to grant the accused's request because he did not suffer from drug dependency when the alleged offences occurred. The magistrate said the court's hands were tied by the existing legal framework, urg- ing legislators to address a gap affecting similar situations. The court described the case as particularly unfortu- nate, noting that an isolated incident of drug misuse had resulted in the death of San- dra Milena Zamudio Torres, leaving her husband facing criminal proceedings along- side devastating personal con- sequences. Colombian national Nelson Esteban Lopez Ceron stands accused of supplying his wife with an ecstasy pill which caused her death. The charges include aggravated possession and trafficking of ecstasy, as well as committing a drug-re- lated offence within 100 me- tres of a place frequented by minors. The case dates back to July 2022, when police were inves- tigating the sudden deaths of two women, Ceron's wife and Chrystal Mateiasevici. WWW.MALTATODAY.COM.MT €1.00 WEDNESDAY • 11 NOVEMBER 2026 • ISSUE 1019 • PUBLISHED EVERY WEDNESDAY AND SUNDAY EDITORIAL • PAGE 11 WEDNESDAY EDITION CONTINUES PAGE 2 Personal Loans HOME MAKEOVER? Compe ve Interest Rates All loans are subject to normal bank lending criteria and final approval from the Bank. The term of the loan must not go beyond re rement age. Cau on! Borrowing money costs money. Issued by Bank of Valle a p.l.c. 58, Triq San Żakkarija, Il-Belt Valle a VLT 1130. Bank of Valle a p.l.c. is regulated by the MFSA and licensed to carry out the business of banking in terms of the Banking Act (Cap. 371 of the Laws of Malta). CONTINUES PAGE 3 Non-EU students coming to Malta to pay much higher fees as of 2027 INTERNATIONAL students coming from outside the Eu- ropean Union will face steep price hikes for their applica- tion fees as of next year. According to Bill 15, pre- sented in parliament to im- plement the measures in Budget 2027, some fees to be paid by students from outside the EU have been tripled, and even multiplied by 10. Magistrate after ecstasy fatality: Drug law needs reforming MATTHEW FARRUGIA mfarrugia@mediatoday.com.mt Magistrate urges lawmakers to reform Malta's drug legislation after ruling that a man accused of supplying his wife with the ecstasy pill that led to her death cannot benefit from special drug court provisions because he was not drug- dependent at the time MAYA GALEA mgalea@mediatoday.com.mt